Kansas City Today

A year ago, a group of concerned people in Missouri got together to help immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and they've since expanded to seven affiliates in three states. Plus: Even though ICE raids are less visible than this winter, fear among immigrants remains high.

One year ago, a man detained by ICE in the Phelps County Jail died by suicide. That led a group of concerned residents in Rolla, Missouri, to form Abide in Love, an organization dedicated to helping immigrants and their families. The movement has since spread to other states and cities, including a chapter in Kansas City. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jonathan Ahl was there as members of the group celebrated the one-year commitment to their efforts.

Raids by federal agents may be out of the headlines, but they’re not out of mind for many immigrants. ICE arrests are up sharply in most states in the Midwest and Great Plains since President Donald Trump took office again. According to the Deportation Data Project, arrests are up 34% in Missouri and 38% in Kansas. Harvest Public Media contributor Sheila Brummer reports on people who are stepping up to help immigrants facing uncertainty.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Jodi Fortino. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Going to a World Cup game, for many, requires hours of sitting in online queues, months of planning and thousands of dollars. Still, for KCUR Health Reporter Noah Taborda, the opportunity is too important to pass up. Plus: Amateur soccer players in Kansas City are hoping to host their own local pickup games with players from other countries.

KCUR Health Reporter Noah Taborda spent the last year preparing to travel from Kansas City to Mexico to watch the Colombian national team at the World Cup with his dad and younger brother. It’s taken hours of waiting and researching, and cost thousands of dollars… and they still don’t have tickets. Noah details why, despite all that, family history, national pride and future memories make it all worth it.

With the World Cup starting this Thursday, Kansas City is expecting cultural exchange in small businesses, coffee shops, and restaurants. But non-professional soccer players expect to facilitate their own connections with visitors through local pickup games. KCUR's Brandon Azim reports.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Noah Taborda. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up. Plus: Supporters and opponents are debating a proposed data center in southwest Kansas.

Development of large-scale data centers is booming across the Midwest and South. Local and state governments are rushing to regulate this growing industry as concerns over water and energy usage are rallying some communities in opposition. Harvest Public Media’s Abigail Bottar reports.

It’s no secret data centers use a lot of water to keep cool. That’s why locals sounded the alarm when one was proposed in southwest Kansas over the Ogallala Aquifer, a water source that has little left in the tank. But some argue that large-scale farm irrigation on the proposed site already uses more water than the data center plan. Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Frank Morris. It is produced by Byron Love, Seth Jahraus and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

The Kansas City Council is bringing back its efforts to ban conversion therapy after it repealed a 2019 ordinance last month. Council member Jonathan Duncan discusses how the new proposal restricting "dangerous therapies" is intended to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling.

Conversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that aims to change an individual's gender or sexual identity or expression. Duncan discusses the effort to ban it with Steve Kraske on KCUR's Up to Date.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Brian Ellison. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

The World Cup is just over a week away. But for hosts like Kansas City, there are still a lot of unknowns. Is Kansas City ready for the World Cup?

Kansas City has been preparing rigorously over the past four years for the World Cup. From a new airport to a revamped transportation service, the city has put in work getting itself presentable for the big event.

Yet, Kansas City's campaign to host the major tournament started decades ago. From KCUR’s podcast “A People’s History of Kansas City,” Suzanne Hogan tells the story of how the city has been fighting to solidify itself as an international soccer hub for years.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Fifteen people say they were physically assaulted by staff, and some sexually abused by other residents, at Change Academy at Lake of the Ozarks, a youth residential treatment center in Missouri that takes in children from across the country.

A residential treatment center in Missouri has said it aims to become to childhood trauma what St. Jude is to childhood cancer. But some former residents say they left the facility more traumatized than when they arrived, and describe a chaotic and sometimes violent environment. The Midwest Newsroom’s Luke Nozicka reports.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Seth Jahraus, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Industries and cities used to pollute rivers so heavily that at least one caught fire a dozen times. But like the Spring River in Kansas, some waterways are now bouncing back. Plus: Residents in a small Kansas town are upset about a smelly landfill.

For around a century, heavy metals from one of the world's top lead and zinc mining regions pummeled the Spring River, which flows from the Missouri Ozarks into Kansas. But half a century ago, a series of landmark federal laws started reining in water pollution. As a result, some rivers across the country are bouncing back to life. Harvest Public Media’s Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports.

Residents in a southeast Kansas community are complaining about an unusual issue: rotten egg odors from their local landfill. They’re raising concerns about potential health impacts and quality of life. Kansas News Service editor Stephen Koranda spoke with Rachel Schnelle about the situation in Galena.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

World Cup officials have said 650,000 soccer fans will visit Kansas City over the course of the monthlong tournament. But how will we know how many actually show up? Hear what we're seeing in the weeks before the FIFA World Cup.

Steve Kraske spoke with reporter and Up To Date producer Halle Jackson about how many soccer fans Kansas City should expect between now and mid-July, and how organizers and experts are gauging the numbers.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

Kansas City metro bus riders now have to pay fares after six years of free rides.

KCUR's Nomin Ujiyediin spoke with government and politics reporter Savannah Hawley-Bates about the new rates and which residents will qualify for free or reduced fares.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

For immigrants looking to stay in the U.S legally, asylum is often their last hope, but judges are denying more claims. Plus: A Missouri man living in the U.S. for 25 years will be deported to Mexico after authorities pulled him over for not having a front license plate.

Millions of immigrants apply for asylum in the U.S. every year, protecting them from deportation. But judges in Kansas City’s immigration court deny the majority of asylum claims they consider. Reporting for The Midwest Newsroom, KCUR’s Celisa Calacal explains how those long odds affect one asylum-seeking family.

A 29-year-old Florissant man who came to the U.S. when he was 4 is now being deported to Mexico. Immigration agents detained Victor López Delara after a traffic stop earlier this year. St. Louis Public Radio’s Chad Davis spoke with López Delara by phone from the Ste. Genevieve County Jail and sat down with Abby Llorico to discuss the interview.

Contact the show at [email protected]. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.